Real Girls Play Softball
by efficacious humorosity
Summary: A modern version of "Pride and Prejudice." Will Darcy and Charley Bingley transfer to Washington Preparatory School, where they meet best friends Jane Benson and Elizabeth Bennet. Love and drama ensue. What awaits the four of them during the school year?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own anything that's from the original book. This is my first Jane Austen fic, so please read and review! Enjoy! **

Chapter 1

A small, petite girl wearing a Boston Red Sox baseball cap bent down in the infield and scooped up the ball swiftly in her gloved hand. She flipped the ball to the second baseman, who caught it with her foot still touching the base and who in turn threw it to the first baseman, turning the double play.

"Good job, girls," the coach said. "But it needs to be faster."

The small girl suppressed a groan as a streak of lightning pierced the sky, an answer to her prayers. "On second thought," said the coach, "that's all for today. Go shower up, girls."

The cheers of the players echoed through the field, drowned out only by the roll of thunder. A taller girl soon joined the small girl as she was walking towards the gym. "What'd you think of that practice, Lizzy?" asked the tall girl.

Elizabeth Bennet was a small, petite girl with dark black hair and bright eyes. She squinted her eyes as she tried to make out the form of the gym in the rain that was just beginning to fall at the same time as she wiped her sweaty bangs away from her forehead with one swipe of her hand. "It was okay," she replied. "I'm dead tired, though. I didn't fall asleep until one last night. What about you, Jane?"

"Same," Jane Benson replied, tucking a lock of her golden blonde hair behind her ear. "About the practice, I mean." She cocked her head at Elizabeth. "My dad working didn't keep you up… did it?"

"Oh, no," Lizzy replied. "I just had a lot to think about."

"Oh," Jane said simply, choosing not to pursue the topic any further. "Can you believe Coach is making us start practicing before the school year even starts?"

"I can believe it," she snorted, "but that doesn't mean I like it or agree with it. But Coach has always been one for overachieving."

"True," her friend chuckled. "School starts tomorrow."

"Really, Jane?" Elizabeth replied, feigning surprise. "I hadn't noticed!"

"I'm just saying…" Jane said, as she pulled open the door to the locker room, allowing Elizabeth to enter before her. "It should be interesting. I heard we have a few new students."

"Surprising, considering we're starting our sophomore year," Lizzy said. "You mostly get new students during freshman year."

"Yeah, well…" she said, her voice trailing off. "I guess we'll see, huh?"

"Guess so," Lizzy said, as a few cheerleaders who had been attending their own practice stumbled in, giggling loudly. Seeing Jane roll her eyes at them, she whispered, "Just remember- real girls play softball."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"God, I hate waking up early," Elizabeth muttered as she and Jane stumbled through the front doors of their preparatory school early the next morning.

"Tell me about it," Jane grumbled, throwing her bags down in one corner.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a girl whom they had both known since third grade, named Lydia approached them squealing, "Jane! Elizabeth! Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" Jane queried, allowing her curiosity to get the best of her. Elizabeth folded her arms, listening, interested as to what Lydia had to say.

"There are two new _boys_ in our grade," she gushed, her curly blonde hair bouncing with the sheer force of her enthusiasm.

"Really now?" Elizabeth said, raising an eyebrow. "Where?"

Lydia led them to the hallway and pointed down the length of it to two tall boys standing near the side doors, surrounded by flocks of tenth grade girls. They were both quite handsome, though quite different in how they seemed to be handing the situation. "The one with the red hair… you know, the one that's smiling and friendly?" said Lydia, to which both Elizabeth and Jane nodded. "His name is Charley Bingley."

Glancing at her friend, Elizabeth was surprised to find that Jane seemed to be quite taken by Charley. Deciding that her questions for friend would have to wait, she pressed Lydia, "Who's the other?"

"The one with the dark hair who looks like he'd rather be somewhere else?" she clarified, and Elizabeth nodded. "His name is Will Darcy."

"Do they know each other?" Jane asked softly, still gazing at Charley. "They look like they do."

"They do," Lydia replied, nodding her head. "Caroline Bingley, Charley's sister, also transferred, but she's a junior." She glanced longingly at the crowd of girls surrounding the two boys. "Do you mind…?"

"Not at all," Elizabeth said and Lydia hastily scampered off. She looked questioningly at Jane. "Are you okay, Jane?"

"Hmmm?" her friend replied absentmindedly, her eyes darting between Elizabeth and the boys at the end of the hall. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Really," Lizzy said doubtfully, raising a single eyebrow at Jane. "You seem to be attracted to Charley over there."

"Well, he is good-looking, you have to admit that," she said, and Lizzy nodded. "But I don't really know him."

Almost as if on cue, Charley seemed to catch sight of them from down the hall. He turned and whispered to Will, his eyes scarcely leaving them for a second. The two boys somehow extracted themselves from the throngs of girls and made their excuses, heading down the hall towards Jane and Elizabeth.

"They're coming this way," Lizzy whispered quietly, sounding every bit as shocked as Jane looked.

When the two boys finally reached them, Charley grinned broadly and extending his hand to Jane, then to Elizabeth, saying, "Hi. I'm Charley Bingley."

Jane, surprisingly composed, replied, "So I've heard. I'm Jane Benson."

"Pleased to meet you," he said genuinely, his smile broadening. Turning to Elizabeth, he said, "And you are…?"

"I'm Elizabeth Bennet," she replied. Her eyes darting questioningly between Charley and Will, the latter of whom seemed to be more interested by his shoes than by the conversation.

"Oh, sorry about him," Charley grimaced, jerking his head towards Will. "This is my best friend, the arrogant jerkwad, Will Darcy."

"Say whatever you want, Charley," Will smirked, "but I'm quite sure no apology is necessary for my behavior."

"God, Will, can't you at least be decent?" asked Charley in exasperation. He turned to Jane and Elizabeth again. "Again, sorry about him."

"Whatever," Will grunted. "Look, Charley, I'll catch up with you later. I'm going to see if this place has half-decent food or not." With that, he left.

"What's with him?" Elizabeth asked, simply shocked by the audacity of Charley's friend.

"He's just used to a magnet school, so… this is all new to him," he replied. "I know he's really a jerk, but he's a good friend, when it comes down to it. You just have to get to know him."

"I wouldn't get to know him if it was a choice between that and gouging my own eyes out," she muttered.

"Lizzy," Jane hissed in a warning tone, stomping lightly on her foot to admonish her.

"Don't worry about it," Charley chuckled. "He gets that reaction from everyone."

"I wonder why," Elizabeth commented dryly.

Looking hesitant, Charley said, "Look, I better go catch up with Will before he offends even more people. But I hope I'll have some classes with you." His statement was meant for both of them, but it felt more directed towards Jane, given the expressive look he flashed in her direction. "So I'll see you around later. Definitely at lunch, okay?"

"Sure," Jane chirped happily, "see you then!"

"See you," Elizabeth said, not nearly as enthusiastic as her friend had been.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Elizabeth chuckled. "What?" Jane demanded sharply, whipping her head around to face her.

"Dude," Lizzy continued to chuckle, "you are so far gone, it's not even funny."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**__**Don't own, don't sue. Please read and review and enjoy! **

Chapter 2

Elizabeth walked down the nearly empty hallway at the end of the day, contemplating her day. Her classes for the year consisted of Honors Theology II, Honor Algebra II, AP European History, Honors Chemistry, Honors Latin II, Honors American Literature, AP Biology, and Honors French I. She shared only her Latin class with Jane, which was far less than she had hoped for. Charley turned out to be in her literature class. Meanwhile, she had had the extreme misfortune of discovering that she shared every single class with Will, with the exception of Latin.

Except for literature, which she had first period and in which she and Will had sat on either side of Charley, Will had deigned to sit with her in every class they shared, all without saying a single word to her. She wondered why he would even bother to sit next to her if he was going to refuse to talk to her.

She about to round the corner when she heard Charley saying, "I heard you spent some time with Elizabeth today, Will."

She froze, unsure of whether she should stay to listen, turn back, or make her presence known to them. Torn, she remained where she was, listening to their conversation. "I did _not_," Will said.

"Then how come I heard Elizabeth telling Jane that you sat with her in theology, algebra, history, chemistry, biology, and French class?" Charley challenged, sounding almost as if he was smirking.

"Look, Charley," Will said, lowering his voice, almost as if he knew that she was right around the corner, "she and Jane are the only girls in this whole entire place that aren't falling over me. And I don't have any classes with Jane. She was the only girl I could sit by and be sure that she wouldn't convince herself that I'm attracted to her. I mean, she's not ugly, but she's not quite attractive enough for my taste."

Elizabeth felt her mouth drop open and had to remind herself that he wasn't quite rude enough to say it to her face, rather, he was confiding in a friend. "Don't be stupid, Will," Charley scolded him. "Both Jane and Elizabeth are extremely pretty. Doesn't any girl _ever_ catch your eye?"

"Hmmm… no," she heard Will reply. "I just catch theirs."

"God, you're insufferable."

She heard them move closer to the corner and she turned on her heel, scampering into the sanctuary of the girls' bathroom.

RGPSRGPSRGPSRGPS

"Are you sure you heard him right?" Jane asked disbelievingly after Elizabeth related to her what she had heard in the confines of Jane's bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Elizabeth insisted. "He's such an ass."

"Come on, Lizzy, don't be like that," Jane pleaded. Lizzy rolled her eyes, but said nothing further. "I'm sure Will's not all that bad."

At this, Elizabeth could not help but snort doubtfully. "Sure, but… define 'not all that bad.'"

RGPSRGPSRGPS

As was custom at Washington Preparatory School, a back to school dance was held the Saturday after the school year started, which was only two days since Jane and Elizabeth had met Charley and Will. Though they had not officially planned it, the girls met Will and Charley at the school and entered the gym, where the dance was being held, together, though Will looked as though he would rather be anywhere else. He stood in the corner, secluded, and turning down all offers to dance from various high school girls. "He doesn't really like dances," Charley informed them, "but I make him come. I tell him it's good to have some semblance of a social life, however pathetic a social life it may really be."

Charley asked for Jane's hand during the first slow dance, which she, of course, accepted. Meanwhile, Lizzy danced with George Wickham, a lacrosse player. "Have you met the new guy yet?" George asked, jerking his head in Will's direction as they danced.

"Unfortunately," she replied. "The other new guy, Charley, is perfectly friendly, but Will…? I have no idea why the two of them are friends. Will is possibly the biggest asshole I have ever had the misfortune of meeting."

At this, George chuckled. "Good to know there are some sensible girls at this place who aren't fawning over them just because they're new blood. Though Jane seems to like Charley a great deal."

"Well, it's not like he doesn't like her back," she snorted and they both laughed. She and George were so engrossed in poking fun at Will that neither of them noticed his eyes trained on her.

She knew she was being (perhaps, unnecessarily) mean to Will. But she didn't care.

It felt good.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"That was a blast," Charley said, sounding satisfied as he and Will played Halo 3 in his basement.

"For you at least," Will muttered, picking up an Energy Sword and climbing into a Warthog.

"You would've had fun too, if you had socialized at all," Charley retorted.

"What are you two arguing about?" asked Charley's sister, Caroline, as she sat in between them on the couch. She glanced affectionately at Will. "Are you talking about the dance?"

"Yeah," Will grunted. "Charley spent the whole time with Jane."

Caroline grimaced, but hid it from her brother as she said, "Good for you, bro. What about you, Will?" A flirty tone dripped into her voice as she addressed her brother's friend.

He shrugged noncommittally. "It was absolute crap," he replied, his eyes never leaving the television screen.

"That's bullshit," Charley declared, pounding furiously at the buttons of the controller. "I noticed you staring at Elizabeth. I thought she was 'not attractive enough,' to quote you."

"Really?" Caroline exclaimed, faking interest and hiding the alarm in her voice. "I heard her mother left her and her father when she was just a baby."

Will ignored Caroline and said, "So? What's it to you, Bingley?

"To me, it means that you're being a hypocrite," Charley smirked. "Come on, what is it? What brought you around to the idea of liking her?"

"Shut up," Will replied sharply, ignoring the question.

"You're spending the weekend here, Will, don't forget that," he reminded his friend. "I can make your life a living hell, unless…"

"Fine," he grunted. "It was her eyes. But that's besides the point that I like her against my better judgment."

Charley's smirk grew even wider as he settled back into the couch, satisfied by the reply Will had given him. Caroline looked even more alarmed at Will's confession and began to spew gossip she had heard about Elizabeth, in an effort to capture Will's attention, but it was all in vain.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Don't own, don't sue

**A/N: Don't own, don't sue. Thanks for the ONE REVIEW, but I'd really appreciate more. Enjoy! **

Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Jane and Elizabeth were watching a movie in Jane's basement. Though their eyes were trained on the screen out of habit, neither of them were paying any attention whatsoever to the plot of the movie.

"Did you have fun at the dance, Jane?" Elizabeth asked, a teasing tone creeping into her voice.

"Yes, I did, if you really want to know," Jane said, and though Elizabeth was not looking at her, she knew she was smiling broadly all the while.

"You spent nearly the whole time with Charley," she said, sniffing dramatically. "I felt so… unloved."

"Oh, please," Jane snorted. "It's not as if you didn't enjoy George Wickham's company."

"True, true," she admitted. "Will was such a pisser though. He just stood there, like a freaking plant for God's sake."

"Why are you so mean to him, Elizabeth?" her friend said scathingly. "You know, you should give up being mean for a week or something. I'd pay you to do it, even."

"I doubt I'd last a day," Elizabeth snorted. "Besides, you know I'm no fun when I'm trying to be nice."

"Whatever," Jane shrugged, not that Elizabeth was looking in her direction. "You know what I did notice?"

"Other than the fact that Charley has 'gorgeous eyes,' as you told me numerous times on the way home?" she cracked, unable to keep herself from smirking.

"So it's true!" she protested. "Sue me. But seriously now. Do you know _what else_ I noticed?"

"Whether I want to know or not, I have a feeling I'm going to hear it, so please, by all means, continue," Elizabeth said dryly.

Jane sighed in exasperation but then brightened as she said, "Will couldn't seem to take his eyes off of you, hmmm?"

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Elizabeth walked into literature class during first period on Monday morning and was surprised to find Will and Charley occupying the table they had claimed the first two days of school. It wasn't so much that they were sitting there; the three of them had sat together on Thursday and Friday. It was the fact that _Will was sitting in the middle_. Charley had always sat in the middle before, because it seemed that Will did not wish to deign to sit next to her any more than absolutely necessary.

She slowly made her way to the back of the room and sat next to him, glancing questioningly at Charley behind Will's head. He shook his head with a grin, indicating that she really didn't want to know. Shrugging, she faced the front of the classroom as the bell rang, wondering what on earth Will was up to.

RGPSRGPSRGPSRGPS

"I just don't get it Jane," Elizabeth whispered to her friend during Latin class that afternoon. "He sits next to me in every class we have together now, which is all of them except for this one, and he never says a word to me. I just don't get it."

"Maybe he's just trying to be friendly," Jane suggested, diligently copying down the notes their teacher was writing on the board. "Have you thought of that?"

"I have," she affirmed, "and I deemed it impossibly."

"Why are you so stubbornly negative, Lizzy?" her friend sighed, turning to the chapter in the book they had just been assigned to translate.

"Because he's a jackass!" Elizabeth hissed angrily, sounding like an angry duck.

"Whatever," Jane said. "You're obviously unmovable on the subject."

Elizabeth cast her best friend a withering look. "You're just now realizing that? I knew that I would be the minute I met him."

"Watch what you say," Jane warned her. "Because one day very soon, I have a feeling you're going to be eating your words, Elizabeth."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

To Elizabeth's surprise, Will made a token attempt at conversation during last period French. "How long have you gone to this school?"

His eyes were still focused on his notebook, so she wasn't even sure it had been him who had spoken at first.

That is, until he looked up at her and repeated his question.

"Just since last year," she replied quietly, slightly shocked that he was even speaking to her. "But before that I went to the corresponding middle school… and the corresponding elementary school."

"So you've known quite a few of these people for quite a while?" he questioned, conjugating an irregular verb as he did so.

"Yes," she nodded, conjugating the same verb and finding herself irritated with the fact that they were doing the same thing at the same time.

"How long have you known Jane?" he asked, glancing up at her again, his hazel eyes probing.

She shivered under the intensity of his stare as she replied, "Since I was six."

He nodded and seemed to expect her to ask the same questions of him, but she remained silent throughout the rest of the period.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Looking for Jane after school, Lizzy found her engrossed in a conversation with Charley. She walked up to them, backpack still slung over her shoulders, and said, "Hey. What's up?"

"We were just talking about history class," Charley said, flashing her a small smile. "And how my sister desperately wants to meet her."

"Really?" Elizabeth said, giving Jane a knowing look. Her friend blushed from her collar to her cheeks, looking extremely flattered.

"Yes," Charley nodded. "I've told Caroline, my sister, that is, about Jane, and she really wants to meet her. In fact, she insists on it." He glanced at Jane, who, embarrassed, glanced down at her shoes. Looking around for a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, "How's Will been treating you, Elizabeth?"

After a few moments of contemplation, she finally answered, "_Weird_."

"Really?" he laughed, as Jane looked up, interested in what Lizzy had to say. "How so?"

"Well, he's been sitting next to me in all our classes, but that started last week. But in literature, he was sitting in the middle instead of on your other side. And then, in French… he actually started a conversation with me," she replied, sounding more and more confused with every word she spoke.

"I don't mean to sound judgmental," Jane started.

At which Lizzy snorted, "But I do."

Jane glared at her in admonishment before continuing, "But that doesn't seem like typical behavior for him."

"It's not," Charley admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. Casting his eyes around again, almost as if he was afraid Will would overhear them, he added, "Will's a man of many mysteries, Lizzy. Even I don't know him thoroughly and I'm his best friend."

"Why would anyone _want_ to get to know him?" she said scathingly, thinking of his arrogant behavior.

"He's actually a good guy, like I told you before," he said in defense of his friend. "I don't know. I just get the feeling _you'll_ be the one to unlock his secrets."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Don't own, don't sue

**A/N: Don't own, don't sue. Thanks for all the reviews, but more would be awesome! They really keep me going. Enjoy. I think this story is going to go until the end of their sophomore year, and I may do a sequel, but I am unsure. Let me know what you think!**

Chapter 4

About a month into the school year, there came a day when Elizabeth stumbled into school alone, whereas she was usually accompanied by Jane. Charley, who had been waiting in the lobby (obviously for Jane), looked a bit crestfallen when he saw her absence. "Hey, Elizabeth," he said as warmly as he could manage through his disappointment.

"Hi, Charley," she yawned, covering her open mouth with her hand. "Sorry, I'm tired."

He offered her a small smile before saying, "Where's Jane?" This time, he was unable to mask the expression of utmost worry that spread across his face.

"She's sick," she replied, slowly ambling towards her locker. He trailed after her slowly, clearly eager for more information. "She had to stay at home."

"Is she going to be okay?" he pressed on, looking anxious.

Lizzy repressed a groan and replied, "She'll be fine in a couple days, Charley."

"Oh. Okay," he said slowly. "Did she call you this morning or something?"

"No, I was at her house," she replied as she grabbed a few books from her locker and slammed it shut. "Why?"

"Just wondering," he shrugged. "Another question. Why are you always at her house?"

This question seemed to bother him as they made their way together to the other building, where they had first period literature. "Because I've been living with her since June. Are you done asking questions?" she snapped. He nodded mutely, looking slightly scared. She sighed, "Look, I'm sorry I'm a little snappy. I'm just sleepy, okay? And as for why I'm living with her… it's kind of personal. And I'm not in the mood."

"It's chill," he said, smiling warmly at her. "I totally get it. Besides, Will's snappy _all the time_. If I can handle him, I can most definitely handle you."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Will hadn't given up in his attempts to make conversation, and as he continued to do so, she increasingly participated in the conversations he initiated. During algebra class, he turned to her and whispered, "Charley told me that Jane is sick."

"She is," Elizabeth whispered back, scribbling down the solution to an equation their teacher had left on the board for them as a warm-up.

"He's really worried about her," Will stated, squinting his eyes at the same equation. "How do you solve this?"

"Multiply both sides by five," she told him. "Yeah, he seems to be. It's a bit unnecessary, though. It's just a bad cold. Nothing to worry about."

"Charley just tends to get carried away with these things," he muttered, finally writing down his own solution to the equation. He glanced over at her answer. "What'd you get? Damn! How'd you get that?"

She cast her eyes briefly over his work and told him, "You divided wrong."

"No, I didn't," he said, looking over his own work again. Then his eyes grew wide as he said, "Oh. So I did."

Ben Smith, who was sitting on the other side of Will, said, "Hey, Darcy."

Restraining himself from sighing heavily, Will turned to face Ben and said, "Yes… Smith?"

"Tell your buddy Charley I said 'congrats,'" Ben said, clapping Will on the back.

He grimaced, but said, "'Congrats'? Congrats on what?"

"Snagging Jane," Ben said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"They aren't dating," Will told him, nearly snarling. Elizabeth would not have been surprised if he had growled at Ben, frankly.

"They aren't?" Ben said, looking shocked and taken aback. "Well, it's going to happen soon and we all know it. Congratulate him anyway."

"Will do," he muttered, frowning as he turned back to his work. He became engrossed in his thoughts and didn't say another word for the rest of the period.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Elizabeth returned to Jane's house around six that evening, having spent two hours at softball practice after school ended. She retreated to Jane's room and was surprised to find that her friend already had visitors. Will Darcy, Charley Bingley, and a slightly older-looking girl with Charley's red hair were crowded around Jane's bed, though Will hung back a bit.

He looked up immediately when she entered the room and his eyes scanned over her, taking in her frazzled, sweaty appearance. "Where have you been?" he asked, his voice sounding neither concerned nor scathing. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Softball practice," she replied, walking towards Jane's bed. "Hi, everyone. I wish I had known you all would be here; I would've at least showered."

"Oh, don't worry about it," the redheaded girl said, though she barely restrained herself from wrinkling her nose. She extended her hand reluctantly for Elizabeth to shake, saying, "I'm Caroline Bingley, Charley's older sister."

"Nice to meet you," Elizabeth said, shaking Caroline's hand. "I'm Elizabeth Bennet, a friend of Charley's." Peering down at her friend, who was lying on her bed, she said, "How are you feeling, Jane?"

"Better, actually," Jane said, sniffing as she did so. "Well… better than this morning, anyway."

"Coach missed you at practice," Elizabeth informed her with a small smile.

"I bet," Jane snorted doubtfully. "Like dog misses a tick."

"I'm going to go shower," Lizzy said, exiting as gracefully as possible from the room. "I'll be back."

Almost as soon as she slipped out, Charley said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"There's another one downstairs," Jane informed him, smiling weakly up at him.

He returned the smile wholeheartedly. "Thanks," he said, exiting the room.

After a few moments of awkward silence between the three of them, Jane fell into a light slumber.

"Holy shit," Caroline hissed, "did you see the state Elizabeth is in?"

He nodded and looked at her warily. "Why? Do you have a problem with it?"

"She looked like a savage!" she exclaimed, her gray eyes growing wide with indignation.

"I actually thought she looked rather pretty like that," he commented, keeping his eyes trained on his shoes. Caroline's eyes widened even further in shock, but she bit her tongue.

"Well, I wish you luck with that pursuit," she said, barely able to conceal the bitterness in her voice. She glanced at Jane, before saying, "Do you think Charley would be happy with Jane? I don't think she's actually good enough for him."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Will said, looking at the sleeping girl. "But I don't think she likes him as much as he likes her."

"Should we…?" she said uncertainly, glancing at him. "It would be for the best."

After a few moments of deep thought, he nodded, and said, "For the best."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Don't own, don't sue

**A/N: Don't own, don't sue. Please review, 'cause I really love it! Enjoy! **

Chapter 5

The following week, Jane was healthy and back in school. However, during Latin that Monday, she had some disturbing news for Elizabeth. "Charley's been avoiding me," she whispered worriedly, her brows furrowing together.

Elizabeth turned to her, looking equally confused. "What do you mean?"

"He hasn't talked to me since he visited me last week," Jane replied, dutifully translating chapter six of the textbook. "I've tried to start conversations, but… he always cuts me off coldly."

"That's weird," she commented. "He seemed so in love with you last week."

"Well, I guess we were just imagining it all," her friend muttered, trying hard to hide her wounded feelings. And failing miserably.

"Don't be stupid, Jane," Elizabeth scolded her. "He was perfectly in love with you. I'll bet Will has something to do with this. Or Caroline. I wouldn't put it past either of them."

"Why are you always so ready to think the worst of them, Lizzy?" Jane sighed, closing her book as she finished. "I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding on our part. After all, why would Will and Caroline do such a thing?"

Though Jane seemed to have convinced herself, Elizabeth knew better than to believe in their innocence when both Will and Caroline seemed to consider themselves superior.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

If one knows Elizabeth Bennet well enough, one will soon realize that, when determined, she can raise hell until she gets the information she is seeking. Especially when she has a hunch.

She observed Charley's behavior around Jane, and she realized that Jane had been right. He was avoiding her. He refused to talk to her, and when he did happen to look in her direction, his expression was a mix of heartbreak and bitter anger. This confused Elizabeth, wondering what reason (or reasons) Charley could possibly have to be angry with Jane.

If she expected Charley's animosity toward Jane to affect Will's attitude toward her, she was completely wrong. Will continued to talk to her, though her reactions varied, due to her suspicion of his involvement in Charley's recent actions.

"So," she said conversationally one day during theology, causing him to look shocked, for he was always the one to start the conversation- it had never been her. "Charley's been avoiding Jane."

Looking engrossed in his writing, Will said, "What can I say? The guy's moody. Though I'm slightly ashamed to say it, our whole sex is. We're fickle."

Elizabeth repressed the strong urge to snort in her doubt. "I just don't get it. He really seemed to like her last week. Especially when he showed up to visit while she was sick." Will nodded, fighting hard to look nonchalant. "And everyone was sure he was going to ask her out at any moment."

"Well," he said slowly, "just because everybody thinks something doesn't mean that it's true… does it?"

"I guess so," she grudgingly admitted. "But still. It seemed so obvious." He shrugged. She looked at him, saying, "Say, you're his best friend."

"And?" he said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Do _you_ have any idea what happened?" she asked, trying to pry anything he might know out of him.

"Charley and I are best friends, yes," Will replied, "but us guys don't tell each other _everything_ like girls do. We're not all that touchy-feely. So I don't know."

"You're sure you don't know _anything_?" she pressed on.

"I'm sure, Elizabeth," he sighed, sounding a bit bothered by her persistent questioning.

She looked slightly taken aback by his direct use of her name, but said nothing further. She knew when not to push her luck.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"Charley," Will said slowly as they were walking out to Mr. Bingley's car after school that day, "do you know why Elizabeth is always at Jane's house?"

"No," Charley said slowly, still sounding miserable. "I asked Elizabeth once… but she didn't want to talk about it. I'd ask Jane, if…"

"Yes, of course," Will nodded, remembering what he and Caroline had told Will about Jane the previous week.

"If it weren't for the fact that she's… pregnant," he finished, sounding pained even to think about it. "If it weren't for that."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"Why do you think he's avoiding me?" Jane asked that night, as she had asked every night since Charley had, in fact, started avoiding her. She was sitting on her bed, staring at her newly painted pink toe nails while Elizabeth looked up at her from her position on the floor. She was sitting with her legs crossed, drawing smiley faces on her bare knee with a blue pen.

"I don't know, Jane," Elizabeth sighed, ever patient, but adding, "I bet Will or Caroline has something to do with it, as I've told you many times."

"Again with the being pessimistic," her friend said wearily. "Can't you give them the benefit of the doubt, Lizzy?"

"Let me think," she replied slowly, tapping her chin with her index finger. "That would be a… 'no.'" Jane sighed loudly, hugging her knees to her chest tightly.

"Whatever. I honestly think that Will likes you, though," Jane said, changing the subject expertly.

"There is no way," Lizzy scoffed. "His nose is so high in the air that he couldn't _see_ a

girl even if he wanted to."

"He always looks at you, Lizzy," she said witheringly. "When Charley was still talking to me, he told me that Will asked about you a lot. He asked me about you quite a lot."

"You're just imagining things," Elizabeth said. "You just _want_ him to like me so I have a reason to stop ragging on him."

"That's crap," Jane scolded her, glaring at her reproachfully.

"Whatever." During a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Elizabeth looked around the room and said, "Thanks for letting me live here with you, Jane."

"No problem," Jane said quickly. "None at all. Anything I could do to help made me feel like I was at least doing _something_."

"It is a big help," Lizzy admitted. "With my dad in the hospital and all."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I own nothing

**A/N: I own nothing. Please read and review and enjoy the chapter! **

Chapter 6

"All right, girls," their coach said, clapping her hands together. "Let's go out there and let's win this thing!"

The softball players cheered and headed onto the field, taking up their positions, seeing as it was their first home game of the season. Elizabeth took up her position just behind the base path between first and second base as shortstop as Jane took her position as second baseman. The announcer proclaimed the arrival of the home team and introduced each player, along with their positions.

Soon, the first pitch had been thrown and the game had started.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"What are we going to do today, Will?" Charley asked as he opened the door and saw his best friend standing on the front doorstep.

Will shrugged, but suggested, "How about we go down to the softball field down the street and watch the team play?"

"Since when have you taken an interest in any school's sports?" Charley snorted. Then he answered his own question and said, "Oh, right. Since _Elizabeth's_ on the team."

Will opened his mouth to retort, but seemed to think better of it, and closed it and said nothing. "Let's just go," he grunted, looking determinedly down at his shoes.

"But Jane's on the team," Charley pointed out.

"You're going to have to face her sometime," Will said stubbornly. "We'll be going to school with her for the rest of this year and the next two years."

Rolling his eyes, Charley said, "Fine. But only because I'm getting tons of joy out of seeing you go ga-ga over a girl for once."

"I am not!" Will protested as Charley stepped out of the house and closed the front door behind him.

"You're willing to participate in a social activity just to see her," he chuckled. "For you, that _is _going ga-ga."

RGSPRGPSRGPS

Elizabeth stepped up to the plate and kicked up some of the dirt lightly with her cleats, the number 34 waving proudly on her back as she raised the bat. She focused intently on the pitcher as she released the pitch. The ball came flying towards her and she kept her eyes on it diligently as it flew over home plate-

"Ball one!" called the umpire.

Allowing herself a small smile, she adjusted her batting helmet and assumed her stance yet again. The next pitch was much better, right in the middle of the strike zone. Swinging the bat powerfully, Elizabeth felt, rather than heard, the satisfying crack as it made contact with the ball. It flew over the infield, over the outfield, and-

"That ball's outta here!"

RGPSRGPSRGPS

The crowds erupted with cheers for the home team as Elizabeth rounded first base, casually tossing her batting helmet at the first base coach. "Did you see that?" Will said, allowing a bit more than a hint of excitement to creep into his voice. "That was _amazing_!"

"That was," Charley admitted, smiling broadly as he watched Elizabeth slap high-fives with the next batter. "She's really good at this."

Will nodded enthusiastically, causing Charley to laugh. "What?" Will snapped, wondering what his friend could possibly find funny.

"It's funny," Charley said. "How you pretend to be so cold and unfeeling. But when it comes to her? You turn into a huge pile of mush."

"Shut up," Will said, pushing Charley and turning his eyes back to the game. "I'm trying to watch a game here."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

As they were changing sides, Jane found Elizabeth in the dug out and whispered, "Charley and Will are here."

"They are?" Elizabeth hissed back, sounding shocked as she whipped her head around to scan the stands for them. Sure enough, she spotted them sitting in the front row of the small stadium, not far from the first base line. "So they are."

"Isn't that weird?" Jane commented. She glanced at Lizzy. "I told you he likes you."

"Charley's probably here to see you," Elizabeth countered, putting on her glove. "But whatever. We better get back out there."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

The ball seemed to fly through the air in slow motion as Elizabeth watched its flight from home plate towards her. She had hoped it would be a ground ball, but no such luck. It was far too high. Knowing that if it got past her into the outfield that it would result in a double for the batter, she dived, pocketing the ball in her gloved left hand. She landed on her right side with her right foot under her, which twisted with a sickening crack.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"That was beautiful!" Will said, watching Elizabeth dive for the ball. Charley merely chuckled and looked sideways at his friend, amused. However, Will's broad grin faded as he said, "Why isn't she getting up?"

The two boys watched as the entire team migrated towards Elizabeth to render her any aid they possibly could. "I think she's hurt," Charley said.

Without warning, Will quickly scaled the fence separating the seats from the field and jumped over to the other side, rapidly followed by Charley. They joined the crowd of girls gathered around the injured girl. "What's going on?" Will asked loudly, pushing through the throng of softball players.

"She's probably just twisted her ankle," the coach replied. Elizabeth looked up at and glanced back and forth between Will and Charley questioningly, almost as if to ask what they were doing. "You need to sit out the rest of the game, Bennet."

A wild look came upon Elizabeth's face. "No way!" she said, using her arms to push herself off the ground and using Jane as leverage. "I want to play." She let go of Jane's shoulder and promptly tumbled to the ground as her weak ankle gave out from under her.

"You can't even stand, Lizzy," Jane said softly. She looked up, ignoring Charley, and said, "Will? Can you? Please?"

He nodded tacitly and hooked an arm under Elizabeth's bent knees and the other behind her shoulder blade and carried her off the field. "That was some play," he commented quietly, as she directed him to the first aid station.

"Yeah, but it would've been better if I hadn't hurt myself," she muttered, as he laid her down on the thin mattress on the bed. "Um… thanks, Will."

"No problem," he said, casting her one last unreadable look before leaving without another word. Elizabeth vaguely wondered if Jane could be right.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I still own nothing

**A/N: I still own nothing. Read and review- please and thank you! Haha, enjoy. **

Chapter 7

Elizabeth fought to keep control over the car as she slowly drove through the unrelenting storm. Her gaze following the path of the headlights as she slowly pressed her foot on the accelerator pedal. As she drove through a huge puddle of water, her tires lost their grip on the surface of the road and she began to hydroplane.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" she said shrilly, her voice rising hysterically with every syllable she uttered. She gently pressed on the brake and let the car come to a stop. Suddenly, someone tapped on her driver's side window.

"Elizabeth?" called a voice. The owner of the voice pressed his face up against the window.

Charley.

How charming.

She rolled down the window, saying, "Charley, what are you doing here?"

"I live down the street from the softball field, remember?" he said, pointing in the general direction of his house. "What are you doing here?"

"Jane has to study for a test tomorrow, so she decided not to go to softball practice. It started to storm really badly, so coach ended practice early. My car just freaking hydroplaned, Charley," she replied, glancing at the rain pouring down in sheets all around them. "There's no way I can drive in this. What are you even doing outside?"

"I saw your car from the living room window and I recognized it," he told her. "I saw you hydroplane and figured you could use some help."

"Got that right," she snorted. "Can I just park in your driveway and stay at your place until the storm ends?"

"Sure, no problem," he replied. "But I better warn you- Will is here."

She shrugged. "Whatever, I'll take any shelter I can get," she muttered. He shook his head of wet hair and walked towards his house as she rolled up the window and slowly pulled into his driveway. Putting the car in park and taking out the keys, she stepped out into the pouring rain and ran towards Charley, who grabbed her hand and led her up the front steps to the front door. He opened it and pulled her inside, shutting and locking the door behind her. "Thanks," she muttered as he handed her a towel from a small closet off to the side.

"Don't mention it," he said, as they both toweled themselves dry. "It's pretty wicked out there, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it," she murmured. "What do I do with this?" she asked, holding out the now used towel.

"I'll take it," he said, grabbing it and throwing it into the small room.

"Are your parents home?" she asked, looking around the house, absorbing the sight of it.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "My mom's out of town on business and my dad is still at work. Caroline's spending the night at one of her friends' houses. So it's just Will and me here. And now you."

She resisted the urge to ask if Caroline had friends as she said, "Oh. Okay."

"Do you like video games?" he asked, leading her towards a staircase and descending it, Elizabeth following closely behind.

"I love 'em," she told him.

"Great," he said. "We're downstairs playing Halo. I was just grabbing a drink when I spotted your car."

"Did you get one?" she asked as they neared the landing.

"No," he said, "but standing in that absolute torrent was close enough. Will, we've got company!"

"Who the hell could it be?" Will grunted gruffly in reply just as Charley and Elizabeth were rounding the corner into the den. His mouth dropped open slightly when he caught sight of her and he said, "Oh. Hi… Elizabeth."

"Will," she greeted grudgingly, sitting as far away from him as possible on the couch. Charley tossed her a controller.

"Quit the game," he instructed Will. "We're adding Elizabeth into it. Are you any good at Halo, Lizzy?"

A devilish smile crept across her face. "You'll just have to find out, won't you?"

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"Damn!" Charley muttered, pounding away at the buttons on his controller furiously. "That's beastlial, Lizzy!"

"Thanks," she said, grinning crookedly at him. "I try." Her cell phone began to ring, so she hit the start button to pause the game and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Hello?" she said, flipping it open and pressing it to her ear.

"Elizabeth?" said Jane's frantic voice on the other end. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she chuckled. "The storm was really powerful and the car hydroplaned, so I stopped at a friend's house."

"Really? Whose?" Jane asked.

Elizabeth sighed. She had been hoping that Jane would never have to know about this. "Charley's," she replied. "I'm at Charley's house."

"Oh," she said softly, sounding surprise. "Well, just get home as soon as you can."

Without giving Elizabeth a chance to explain or to say good-bye, she hung up, so Elizabeth closed her phone and set it on the coffee table in front of them.

"Who was that?" Will asked gruffly, restarting the game.

"Jane," Elizabeth said, glaring at both of them. "You know, my best friend?"

Neither Charley nor Will had any reply.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Elizabeth left Charley's house around nine that night, when the rain finally slowed down to a steady fall instead of a flood. "Thanks again, Charley," she said as he and Will walked her to the door.

"No problem," he said. "I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Yeah, see you," she said. Turning to both of the boys, she said, "Good-bye."

"Bye!" Charley called back cheerfully as she stepped out the front door.

Will, however, remained with his head hung low, his eyes trained on the hardwood floor, and his large hands shoved in his pockets. She cast a withering look at Charley, who merely shrugged, having no excuse to offer for his friend's behavior. "I just have one question for you, Will," she said softly. He looked up, his eyes questioning and full of wonder. "Are you always this unfeeling?"

Before he could even open his mouth to answer, she was gone, the front door slammed unceremoniously behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I still own absolutely nothing

**A/N: I still own absolutely nothing. Please leave a review! Enjoy. **

Chapter 8

Elizabeth sat at the grand piano in the library, her fingers absentmindedly picking out a familiar tune from the keys. Jane had left just before last period for a doctor's appointment, but she had promised to drive back to school to pick her up afterwards. So now Elizabeth's phone sat on top of the piano, waiting to receive a call from speed dial number three while her fingers continued to play random keys of ivory in the hopes of entertaining herself.

She was failing miserably.

It had been three weeks and still Charley refused to speak to Jane, though Jane valiantly tried to strike up a conversation between the two of them. She vaguely wondered what Will and Caroline, both of whom she still suspected were behind Charley's sudden refusal to associate with Jane, could have possibly told him. He really seemed to like her. What could've happened?

Sighing loudly, she placed both hands on the keys and began to play "Canon in D." She was surprised to hear her fingers play the piece perfectly, though it had been years since she had practiced playing the piano. She supposed "muscle memory" was responsible.

"'Canon in D,' huh?" said a voice.

Her fingers froze as her head whipped around to face the owner of the voice.

Will.

What a pain in the ass.

"Darcy," she greeted coldly, turning back to the piano and continuing the piece.

"Ouch," he said, faking hurt. "That hurts me deep, Elizabeth. I was so sure we were on a first name basis by now." He leaned on the piano as he continued to watch her play, captivated by the graceful, elegant movements of her slender fingers.

"You think I give a crap?" she asked, smirking as she kept playing.

"Oh, that's harsh," he said cockily. "But I have a feeling that you don't really mean any of the cruel things you say to me."

"Really," she said dryly. "You wanna bet?"

"No," he said quietly, "not just yet."

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes as she finished the piece. She pushed herself away from the piano on the bench and said, "What are you still doing here?"

"Watching you play," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What else?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said slowly. "I thought maybe you had a small child to terrorize somewhere."

"I do not terrorize young children," he replied, almost indignantly.

"Could've fooled me," she muttered, standing up to leave.

"Wait!" he said, as she neared the door.

"What?" she demanded in frustration. "Jane's going to be here to pick me up any minute. I don't have time for this."

A timid freshman approached Elizabeth from behind, wringing his hands nervously. "Elizabeth?" he called out softly.

She turned to face him and smiled at him, realizing that he was the ninth grader she tutored in math. "Oh, hello, Derek," she said warmly.

"Hi," he said, smiling anxiously as he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. Will said nothing, but watched the exchange with interest.

"Do you need help with your geometry homework?" Elizabeth prodded, wondering what on earth could bring Derek to seek her out.

"No, not exactly," he said, shaking his head of dark brown hair. "I… I have a question for you."

"Oh," she said, sounding surprised. "Well, what is your question?"

"Would you…" he said slowly, sounding unsure of himself now, "would you go out with me?"

An awkward silence filled the library after he completed his question, in which Derek waited with hope for her answer. Will waited for her reply on bated breath as well, but for a different reason. Elizabeth merely looked shocked. Finally, she softly, "I'm sorry, Derek. But I just don't like you like that."

He bowed his head, looking crestfallen. "I understand."

"I hope we can still be friends," she said earnestly as he nodded weakly. She wordlessly drew the small boy into a hug and pecked him on the cheek for his valiant effort. "Bye, Derek."

"Bye, Elizabeth," he called sadly as he left the library.

"Who was that?" Will demanded gruffly.

"Derek is this ninth grader I tutor in math," she replied. "He's so cute… but more like a little kid."

"What business does he have asking you out then?" he asked, his eyes ablaze with something like… anger?

"More business than half the guys in this school," she retorted. "And anyway, why do you care so much who asks me out?"

Will had no reply, but instead stared intently at her, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of something to say. "He doesn't know you," he finally said softly.

"Doesn't know me?!" she demanded, her voice rising at least an octave. "He knows me better than you know me!"

"Prove it!" Will snarled, thrown into the argument once more.

"You don't know the first three things about me," she growled, stomping her foot angrily on the carpet.

"What are they?" he said angrily, challenging her.

"You don't know that I'm fiercely loyal to my friends, especially Jane," she said, holding up one finger.

Will gulped. She knew that he had something to do with Charley's avoiding Jane. She just knew.

"Second, you don't know that I love the Boston Red Sox almost as much as I love food," she said, holding up a second finger. "And that's saying something."

"What's the last thing?" he asked gruffly. "You said there are three things."

"You don't know how much _shit_ I'm putting up with this year," she said softly, checking her phone as it vibrated. Jane had arrived. Finally. "If you did, you wouldn't bother me nearly as much as you actually do."

"I know you better than you think," he muttered, as she turned to leave.

"Oh, yeah?" she smirked. "Then you must be purposefully trying to piss me off all the time, Darcy. And that's even worse."

Turning on her heel, she quickly fled from the library, running to the other building for her backpack. She hoped Jane was in a mood to listen to her rant and vent. Because there was no way she was going to make it all the way to Jane's house without cursing out William Darcy several times over.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: If I was Jane Austen, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction

**A/N: If I was Jane Austen, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. Please leave a review and enjoy! Just in case you were wondering, last chapter was NOT the scene where Will asks her out. **

Chapter 9

"Jane, you _need_ to come to practice today," Elizabeth said, slamming her locker door shut as she finished gathering up the books she needed for homework.

"I don't want to go," she complained, shutting her own locker door.

"You haven't been in a week," her friend protested. Jane had been downcast and depressed ever since Charley had stopped speaking to her, and she had been so down this past week that she had skipped practice every single day.

"I don't want to go," she repeated stubbornly.

"You can't let this Charley thing ruin your life, Jane," Elizabeth advised her, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Jane flushed and whispered, "I don't want to go."

"Okay, Jane," she sighed. "I'll tell coach that you don't feel well again."

"Thanks, Lizzy," Jane said, hugging her tightly.

To which Elizabeth replied, "What are friends for, eh?"

RGPSRGPSRGPS

In the girls' locker room, Elizabeth quickly changed into her blue and gold softball uniform, wearing a pair of sliding shorts underneath. Sitting on a bench, she pulled her softball cleats onto her feet and tied them tightly in a double knot. Standing in front of the mirror, she brushed her long, dark hair back and tied into a high ponytail. When that was done, she turned on the faucet of the sink in front of her and washed makeup off of her face, since she would sweat it off during practice anyway. Finally, she grabbed her glove and her bat and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and began heading out to the field.

For the umpteenth time, she wondered what reason Charley could possibly have for avoiding Jane like he was. They had gotten on so well at the beginning and it was obvious to everyone that the admiration was mutual. So why was he now giving her the cold shoulder?

Constant as ever, Elizabeth still strongly suspected that Caroline and Will had interfered with Charley and Jane's relationship. But why? Every conversation she had with Will only further convinced Elizabeth of his utter disdain for anyone who wasn't _him_. And how rudely he had acted when Derek asked her out! She flushed out of pure anger as she thought of the incident. What was it to him if a freshman asked her out? Why would he give a damn about anything having to do with her? He didn't seem to give a damn about anything that had to do with anyone, save him.

"Whatever," she muttered to herself, vowing not to let someone as arrogant and dick-headed as Will to get to her. She adjusted the Red Sox cap on her head and exited the gym and entered the hallway, ready to go vent her anger in softball practice. To be honest, she felt bad for the softball.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Elizabeth was just about to round the corner when she heard two familiar voices conversing in the small, side hallway which branched off from the main hallway. "I don't think this was a good idea, Caroline," said a low voice.

Will.

Normally, Elizabeth was opposed to eavesdropping, but in this case, her curiosity got the best of her immediately. She stayed where she was silently, listening to the conversation intently.

"Will, you know Charley was way too attached to that bitch for his own good," said a girl's voice.

Caroline.

What a bitch.

Elizabeth's knuckles turned white as her hands clenched into fists at Caroline's derogatory remark regarding Jane. However, she continued to remain where she was, listening carefully.

"I don't know," Will said, sounding uncertain. "I'm beginning to think that Jane liked Charley as much as he liked her."

"Don't be stupid," Caroline snapped at him. "You know we did what was best for my brother."

"That's just it, Caroline," he said slowly, "I'm not so sure anymore if it was for his own good." There was a tangible silence between the two of them as Caroline considered the ramifications of Will's statement.

"Would you want him to date a girl who's pregnant with a college student's baby?" Caroline asked, sounding smug, and Elizabeth could just imagine her smirking.

At this, Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. Jane pregnant? Jane was still a virgin! There wasn't even a rumor like that going around. So that was why Charley had stopped talking to Jane! Not only had Will and Caroline told him that Jane didn't like him, they had told him that she was pregnant with someone else's child!

Afraid of what she would do or say in her current angry state, Elizabeth stayed where she was until Will and Caroline disappeared into the gym. She slid to the cold tile floor of the hallway, still shocked with what she had just heard. How could anyone even believe that of Jane? It was widely known that she was the sweetest, most level-headed girl to be found in the entire city. She buried her face in her hands.

She had always suspected that Will and Caroline were behind it. But the proof of it was almost more than she could handle. She had almost believed Will when he had told her that he had no idea why Charley was avoiding Jane. And, of course, she had never even bothered to ask Caroline. She had _almost _believed him. Almost. She was surprised that Will, as arrogant as he was, could do something so cruel to his best friend, as he called Charley.

Shaking, she stood from her sitting position on the floor and gathered her thoughts. She picked up her duffel bag, bat, and glove again and began walking slowly down to the field. She knew coach would make her run laps for being late to practice, but frankly, at this point, she couldn't care less. It would give her more time to regain her composure. After what she had just discovered, she was going to need it.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Will stood on top of the hill, which overlooked the small field where the softball team practiced. His eyes followed Elizabeth, as they were accustomed to doing, as she ran laps around the field, presumably for being late. He had been walking across the quad when he had spotted her on the field, receiving a scolding from her coach.

He couldn't seem to find the strength to tear his eyes from her petite form as he continued to watch the practice. In that moment, he made up his mind. When she was done with practice, he would confront her and confess his feelings to her. He smiled crookedly. He had no doubt that she would accept.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I really don't own anything

**A/N: I really don't own anything. I've been looking forward to writing this chapter, so please read and review! Enjoy! **

Chapter 10

Rain had prevailed and, yet again, the coach had been forced to end softball practice early. Once it had started to rain hard, Will had taken refuge inside the school, and was pleased when Elizabeth soon ran inside, every inch of her dripping wet. He heard her sigh loudly as she released her long, dark locks from her ponytail and shook it, looking rather like a dog. He smiled to himself as he closed his book and slowly approached her.

"Elizabeth," he called softly. Her head whipped around at the sound of her name and she caught sight of him.

"Yes, Darcy?" she said, with precise cold civility. "What do you want?"

"I was just thinking," he said slowly.

"You think?" she sniped, smirking at him.

He remained unfazed by her remark and continued, "I can't take it anymore. I _have_ to tell you how much I like you."

She seemed to be stunned into silence as she dropped her duffel bag and her bat onto the floor with a clatter. Encouraged by her lack of protest, he continued, "For some reason, ever since almost the first time I met you, I've had a thing for you. And you've grown on me. I've come to enjoy your company and treasure it. I like you despite my heart and despite what my mind tells me is right."

Still she said nothing, though his speech was beginning to stir anger in the pit of her stomach. Despite his heart? Despite his mind? What kind of proclamation of love was this?

Yet again egged on by her silence, he added, "I love you, Elizabeth. And I hope that you will do me the honor of being my girlfriend."

An awkward silence followed the conclusion of his speech. He observed the stunned expression on her face with a smirk, convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would accept his offer. How could she not?

However, in the amount of time it took him to blink once, her face went from shocked to angry. "No."

The monosyllabic word escaped her lips with such cruelty that he nearly recoiled when she spat it out. "What?" he asked, his lower jaw dropping in surprise.

"I said 'no,' you good-for-nothing son of a bitch," she spat, her eyes nearly sparking with the sheer force of her rage.

"But… why?" he asked dumbly, looking melancholy and extremely let down.

She laughed mirthlessly. "First off, you're the most arrogant, dick-headed teenage boy I've ever had the misfortune of meeting," she listed, holding up a single finger, just as she had done when the two of them were arguing about Derek not too long ago.

To this, he said nothing. He simply looked hurt.

"Second, I've never seen anyone treat others quite so abominably as you do. You treat everyone as if they are below you and as if they don't deserve your time," she said, holding up another finger.

After a few moments of silence, he said, "Is that all?"

"No," she said, shaking her head furiously. "There's one more thing."

"Well," he said softly. "You've had no problem abusing me so far. By all means, continue."

"You are indeed the most demonic person I have or ever will meet for interfering with Charley and Jane," she accused, lowering her voice dangerously.

"How did you know about that?" he asked, looking shocked at her accusation, though he wasn't denying it.

"I overheard you and Caroline talking about it this afternoon," she spat out. "I can't believe you would do something like that to Charley! To your best friend!"

"It was for his own good!" he snarled in defense.

"You didn't seem to sure of that earlier today," she retorted. "Besides, how the hell could it be for his own good? He clearly liked her!"

"Exactly! That's just the problem!" he said, throwing up his arms in frustration. "He liked her way more than he's ever liked any other girl before, I would know. It was so obvious to everyone and he was going to get hurt sooner or later!"

"How would he get hurt? Jane liked him just as much as he liked her, if not more!" Elizabeth cried angrily, glaring at him.

"It didn't appear so," he pointed out.

"Jane hardly even shows her feeling to me, and I'm her best friend. I'm practically her sister! But she was as good as in love with him! Have you not seen how dejected she's been ever since he's stopped talking to her?" she said.

"I'm sorry if I misjudged the situation," he said, sounding truly sincere. "I know I don't know Jane as well as you do, and it didn't appear to anyone else that she liked him."

"Well, she did," Elizabeth finished rather lamely. Biting her lip, a determined fire entered her eyes again. "That still doesn't excuse your interference, however."

"I know it doesn't," he said. "But I still think he's better off without her!"

"How could he better off without her if she can make him happy?" she asked in exasperation. "How could he possibly be better off without her if he's absolutely miserable without her? It can't be good for her either, she's been near depressed these past few weeks!"

"I… I don't know," he admitted meekly.

"That just makes you the most idiotic, demonic, arrogant dickhead that I've ever had the displeasure of meeting and sharing classes with!" she screeched shrilly. "If I never see you again, I would be content for the rest of my life! You are, without a doubt, the proudest jerk I know!"

Another awkward pause followed the end of her rant. "This is what you think of me?" he said softly, looking hurt and wounded.

"Yes," she said emphatically, nodding her head vigorously. "This is exactly what I think of you, Darcy."

"Well, then," he said quietly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I won't waste any more of your time."

He walked swiftly past her, his shoulder brushing her for just a moment.

And then he was gone.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Elizabeth muttered.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I own nothing

**A/N: I own nothing. Please read and review and enjoy! **

Chapter 11

Elizabeth dreaded seeing Will at school the next day, but she knew that it was inevitable due to the number of classes she shared with him. However, during literature, he simply handed her an envelope and said, "Please read it." Then he moved to sit at the front of the classroom, away from her. She glanced at the clock, she had been there early in order to avoid seeing him before first period even started. She had twenty minutes.

Sighing, she slid a finger underneath the flap of the envelope and extracted a good three page hand-written letter. Unfolding it, she began to read.

_Dear Elizabeth,_

_I realize that my conduct and behavior has left much to be desired on numerous, if not all, occasions. In realizing this, I cannot blame you for refusing me. Why would you wish to date someone like me? Someone as arrogant and "dickheaded," as you so eloquently put it, as me? Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you out again. I fear your wrath more than I hope for your acceptance of me, the latter of which I now know to be impossible. You pointed out several faults of mine last night, which I hope to remedy as soon as possible._

_The purpose of this letter is to attempt to explain my reasoning behind your most serious accusation yesterday, your accusation of my interference with Jane and Charley's relationship. Yes, I admit that I did do my best, along with the help of Caroline Bingley, to convince Charley that he would be better off without your friend Jane. I myself was convinced of her indifference towards him, which you pointed out as a falsity. I apologize for basing half of my reasoning for detaching him from her on something that was untrue, though I was unaware of it. Thinking of how you exclaimed that she barely even showed you that she loved him has made me realize that it was most likely an assumption I made, without knowing her well enough to be accurate. For that, I am sorry. _

_The other half of my reasoning behind tearing them apart was a bit of interesting information I received from Caroline. She informed me that a friend of hers told her that Jane is pregnant with the child of a college student, whom she had an affair with over the summer. Believing that a relationship with her would be a bad influence, or perhaps even a destructive influence, on someone like Charley, I convinced myself that it would be for the best if he avoided her. Thus, I confided both of my assumptions in him and he took them to heart. Though he seemed heartbroken and bitterly angry at the revelations, I convinced myself that he would soon get over it. I'm sure you will be pleased (or displeased, depending on which way you look at it) to know that he hasn't. _

_After reflecting on the entire situation while I was lying in bed last night, I came to a startling realization. Though I am not one prone to gossiping, my usually tacit countenance around most people causes me to catch strains of gossip floating throughout the classrooms. Not once have I heard a rumor of Jane being pregnant. Upon further reflection on what I knew of Jane's character, I realized that she was the last person in our entire school to date a college boy, much less have sex with him, much less be pregnant at all. I would be surprised if someone honestly told me that she is no longer a virgin. _

_Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that Caroline deceived me when she told me of Jane's "pregnancy." I believe that before, having convinced myself of Jane's indifference towards Charley, I was so hopeful of finding sturdier grounds on which to tell him to avoid her acquaintance, that I was willing to believe anything spoken ill of her to me, even if Caroline was the speaker. For I have known Caroline for eleven years, and I know enough of her character to be able to believe that she would deceive me, knowing that her brother would only listen to me and not to her. I do believe she rather resented Jane for ensnaring her brother's heart, despite Jane's lack of wealth or popularity. You see, Caroline is a rather superficial person. _

_Moreover, I would like to apologize once more for my stupidity and interference. Had I not believed Caroline, I doubt I would have interfered, but, as it is, I was hoping so hard to find a sound reason on which to advise Charley to spurn her, that I was willing to believe anything that would do so. Therefore, I am sorry. _

_When I confessed my love for you yesterday, I did sense doubt emanating from your very being. Reflecting (I seem to be doing a lot of that lately) on my behavior toward and around you, I do not suppose that I can blame you for doubting my affection either. If you speak to Charley, you will learn that I have almost never been attracted to any girl, anywhere. _

_At least, until I met you. Again, I am not repeating my offer, for fear of offending you. I merely wish to assure you of my affection for you. _

_I have never been in love before, so I cannot rant on for pages on my usual behavior when I am in such a state. In an effort to maintain my dignity, I suppose, I suppress my feelings, and attempt to make myself as cold and unfeeling as possible. Apparently, I succeeded all too well. Therefore, I will bear my soul to you in this letter, in an effort to show you that I truly do have feelings. _

_Just kidding. _

_But I will, however, admit to you, that I truly do love you and, without a doubt, I have never felt an affection of this strength for anyone ever before. I do not know if it is possible for me to put this feeling into words. Therefore, this is my token attempt. _

_Elizabeth, I love you with reckless abandon and with a violence so strong that it scares me terribly. But yet I do. _

_That said, I will only add, God bless you. _

_Love, _

_Fitzwilliam Darcy_


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Don't own, don't sue

**A/N: Don't own, don't sue. Please read and review! Enjoy this chapter! **

Chapter 12

It had been two weeks since Will have her the letter, and still he did not anywhere near her during any class at all. In fact, he hadn't spoken to her since he handed her the letter. Of course, this did not mean that Elizabeth was anxious to talk to him. Not at all. Far from it. Though she was slightly regretting causing him so much pain, she could not quite bring herself to regret refusing his offer to be his girlfriend.

It was now Thanksgiving break and Elizabeth was in an elevator in Carver Hospital. She was visiting her father, but had left the room to go down to the cafeteria to eat lunch. She was just coming back up then. As the doors to the elevator opened, she stepped out and turned, glancing down at her watch. Without warning, she ran into someone.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she said, looking up to see she who she had run into. When she realized who it was standing above her, she flushed from her hairline to her collarbone.

Will.

"It's okay, Elizabeth," he said politely, offering her a small smile and his hand. She accepted his hand and blushed even deeper as he gallantly pulled her to her feet. She almost expected him to bring up the subject of the letter, but if he was even thinking about it, he didn't show it at all. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Are you okay? Sorry I ran into you like that, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's no problem," he said, chuckling slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," she countered, fighting to keep herself from blushing again.

"Okay," he said, as they walked alongside each other in the hallways of the hospital. He continued to let her lead the way as he said, "I'm spending the day at work with my mom. She's a nurse here, you know."

"Really?" she said. "That's pretty sweet. I want to become a surgeon, so… yeah, that's pretty awesome to me."

"I didn't know that," he said, sounding genuinely interested. "I'll have to introduce you to her then."

"I'd like that," Elizabeth said, as she turned into her father's hospital room. "Um…"

Peering through the glass, Will said, "That's why you're here, isn't it? You're visiting someone?" When she nodded, he said, "Who are you visiting?"

Without saying anything, she grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him into the room, closing the door behind them. Gratefully, she saw that her father had fallen asleep in her absence. "I'm visiting my dad," she said softly, slowly making her way to her father's bedside. "He's been here ever since June."

"Wow," he said softly. "That's a long time."

"Don't I know it," she commented, sounding forlorn.

"What is he in here for?" Will asked, almost hesitantly. He didn't want to ask her any questions that she wouldn't want to answer, but she surprised him by replying.

"He has stage four lung cancer," she replied quietly. "He was always a smoker… he didn't quit until he was diagnosed and I flushed all his cigarettes down the toilet. That was last February. In June, his condition got so bad that he couldn't stay at home anymore. He's been here ever since."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered quietly. "Would it be all right if… if I hugged you?" She nodded tacitly and he embraced her briefly before releasing her. "I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to after…"

He left his statement unfinished, both of them knowing what the ending would have been. "It's okay," she said slowly.

"Is this why you're always at Jane's house?" he asked, after a few moments of awkward silence had passed between the two of them.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Jane's family has been kind enough to let me live with them ever since my dad was admitted. Charley asked me that once."

Will nodded silently, observing her father from a few feet away. While he was observing her father, she observed him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking. Could he still love her, even after she had abused him so abominably to his face when he had asked her out? Could he still have feelings for her? It seemed unlikely, but the tenderness she had felt in his brief hug told her otherwise. In conclusion, she supposed it was remotely possible.

"Again, I'm so sorry, Elizabeth," he said finally, turning to look at her with an expression that spoke of pure concern and compassion, something she had never seen in him before. "Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head sadly. "No," she whispered, "I don't think there's anything the doctors can even do."

"What do you mean?" he asked sharply, sounding alarmed at her mournful tone of voice. "Elizabeth?"

"His prognosis doesn't look good," she explained. "The doctors gave him about six months to live."

"That's it?" he asked quietly, sounding just as mournful as she did.

Nodding, she said, "Unless he gets some radical new treatment. But even if they did find one that would work, we wouldn't be able to afford it."

"I don't really understand you," he said. "I've heard your house is quite nice and…"

"We're not poor," she interrupted him. "At least, we weren't. But my dad has been out of work since May and his company can't afford to pay him if he can't work. I was working double shifts at a small restaurant during the summer, but now I can only work one shift. The Bensons aren't making me pay for food and board, and the insurance covers most of his treatments, but not quite everything."

"I'm sure people would be willing to donate money if they knew about this," he said reasonably, trying to reassure her.

"Yes, but… like I said, I doubt they'll find anything," she sighed loudly. "The doctors said the odds of finding a successful treatment are little to none."

With that, they both fell silent, and Will observed her as she gazed worriedly at her father, who lay dying in the hospital bed. He beheld her affectionately, resisting the urge to reach out and tuck a stray lock of her dark hair behind her ear.

_She's beautiful_, he thought, biting his lip nervously. He wondered if the letter he had given her had changed her opinion of him at all. Did she think better of him? Did she forgive him? He had so many questions he would love to ask, was he not so cowardly as he really was.

Suddenly, she turned to face him and said, "Will?"

"Yes, Elizabeth?" he asked, taken slightly aback at her use of his name.

"Why did you stop sitting next to me in our classes?" she asked.

"I thought after…" he said, "I just thought it would be too awkward." He glanced down at her, saying, "Why?"

"I… I kind of miss having someone to talk to," she admitted, grinning sheepishly.

"Would you like for me to sit next to you again?" he asked hesitantly, sounding slightly awed.

"Yes, I would," she nodded.

Smiling, he replied, "Then I shall."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I still own nothing

**A/N: I still own nothing. Read and review and please, by all means, enjoy! **

Chapter 13

"Elizabeth," Will said softly after a few moments, "how did you get here?"

"I took the bus," she replied. "Why?"

"Let my mother and I take you home," he pleaded. "You can direct us to your home, yes?" He gazed at her so tenderly, his eyes huge with hope, that she felt it would be inhumane of her to refuse him.

"Yes," she nodded. "I guess that's fine then. Thanks."

"No problem," he shrugged, looking pleased that she had accepted his offer, the corners of his mouth kicking up in the beginnings of a smile. "Is it all right with you if we stop by my house first?"

"Sure," she said agreeably. "May I ask why, though?"

"My little sister's been dying to meet you," he replied, running a hand anxiously through his dark hair. It was a nervous habit of his.

"You have a sister?" she asked, looking a bit shocked at this revelation. When he nodded in affirmation, she pressed on, "What's her name?"

"Her name is Georgiana," he said slowly. "She's in seventh grade."

"I can't wait to meet her," Elizabeth said sincerely, and they both fell silent once more. In this void in conversation, she contemplated the transformation he had undergone in those two weeks. How different he was now! He was so polite, so humble, so compassionate! She vaguely wondered why he had changed, and felt herself flush as she considered any involvement she may have had in it. Was it possibly that he had changed just for her, because of her admonishment? He was such a different person than he had been just two weeks ago. However, she could not help but wonder if it would last more than a few weeks. She supposed only time would tell.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

By the time Elizabeth was ready to leave, Mrs. Darcy's shift was over, and Will led Elizabeth to the car to meet his mother. A tall, dark-haired woman stepped out of the driver's seat just as they were approaching, and she looked remarkably similar to Will. "Mom," he said, greeting the woman, "this is Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, this is my mom, Mrs. Darcy."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Darcy," Elizabeth said, shaking hands with her.

"No, no, no, my dear," said Mrs. Darcy, "the pleasure is all mine. I've heard a great deal about you. Only good things, of course."

Elizabeth chuckled and glanced uncertainly at Will. "Don't worry, she didn't hear it from me," he said, blushing a furious red.

"Oh, no," Mrs. Darcy smiled, "I know my son well enough to know that he's not big on talking. I hear all about you from Charley. I trust you have met him?"

"Oh, yes," Elizabeth said. "I know Charley quite well enough to call him a friend. He let me stay at his house for a few hours during that terrible storm a few weeks ago."

"I do remember him mentioning that," Mrs. Darcy said. "Well, we'd best be off. You and Will can sit in the back, Elizabeth."

Mrs. Darcy resumed her position in the driver's seat as Will and Elizabeth sat next to each other in the back row. "So, Will," Mrs. Darcy said, "what's the plan?"

"We're taking Elizabeth to our house first to meet Georgiana," he replied.

"Oh, yes!" Mrs. Darcy exclaimed, glancing at Elizabeth in the rearview mirror. "Georgiana has been longing to meet you for quite some time."

"And then we're taking her to her best friend's house," he finished, flashing his mother a significant look. If she wondered why they were to take her to her friend's house rather than her own house, she didn't show it. Elizabeth, therefore, concluded that it was a trait of the Darcy family to be able to hide one's feelings well.

"Sounds good," she chirped. "So, Elizabeth, how are your parents?"

Will slapped himself on his forehead as he cried, "Mo-om!"

"What?" she protested. "What did I do?"

"Don't worry about it, Will," Elizabeth said reassuringly. Turning to Mrs. Darcy, she said, "My mom left my dad and me when I was little and my dad's in the hospital."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear," Mrs. Darcy said, sounding sincere. "I didn't mean to ask such a stupid, personal question."

"It's okay," she smiled. "There was no way you could've known."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

They reached the Darcy house less than half an hour later, and Elizabeth climbed out of the car and followed Will to the front door. "Georgiana's going to be so happy to meet you," he commented, extracting a house key from his pocket and putting it in the lock.

"I can't wait to meet her either," Elizabeth said as he opened the door.

He stepped inside, wiping his feet on the doormat as he called, "Georgiana! We're home! And we have a guest!"

A girl of about thirteen flew down the stairs to greet Will with a tight hug, which he warmly returned. She had dark hair, just like her mother and her brother, and intelligent eyes. When she looked up and saw Elizabeth, she extracted herself from her brother's arms and held out her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you. I'm Georgiana Darcy."

"Nice to meet you, too," Elizabeth said. "I'm Elizabeth Bennet."

Georgiana's eyes widened as she said, "You're Elizabeth?" Lizzy nodded. "So _you're_ the girl my brother won't stop talking about. Well, in that case, it's doubly nice to meet you."

Elizabeth chuckled and glanced at Will, who was, surprisingly, blushing. "Georgiana," he groaned softly, "do you make it your goal in life to embarrass me?"

"Actually," Georgiana said, "yes."

"I'll go get us some drinks, okay?" Will said, making for the door. "You two behave yourselves."

"He seems to be a good brother," Elizabeth commented, as she and Georgiana sat down on the couch.

"Oh, he is," Georgiana said, nodding her head eagerly. "He's the best."

"I suspected as much," Lizzy grinned. She glanced around the room, admiring the décor. "Your house is beautiful."

"Thanks," the younger of the two girls said. "I'm kind of surprised Will brought you home. He's usually kind of embarrassed by the… elegance of it."

"Really?" Elizabeth said, looking surprised. "He doesn't seem to be."

"I guess that's just because it's _you_," Georgiana said, flashing Elizabeth a meaningful glance that was impossible to miss.

"Do you enjoy embarrassing him?" she asked, a small grin playing on her lips.

"I enjoy it all too much," she replied. Lowering her voice, she added, "Speaking of embarrassing him… did you know that his actual name is Fitzwilliam?"

"I did," she nodded, "he signed it on a letter to me."

Georgiana smiled and looked pleasantly surprised by this revelation. "Well, in that case," she said, wiping her hands on her jeans, "he must really love you more than I thought he did."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Don't own, don't sue

**A/N: Don't own, don't sue. Thanks for all the reviews and please keep it up! Enjoy. **

Chapter 14

Elizabeth stumbled into theology one morning about a week later, looking half dead, with large bags under her eyes. She took the seat next to Will and laid her head down on the desk, her eyes lazily sliding shut. "What happened to _you_?" Will asked, unable to keep the tone of concern out of his voice.

"I didn't sleep," she muttered into the desk.

"That much is obvious," he told her. "But the question is why."

She didn't answer immediately. The truth was, the hospital had called her around eleven o'clock the previous night, to inform her that they had found a revolutionary new treatment that could possibly cure her father. At first, she had been overjoyed, until she had asked for the price of said treatment. The treatment cost twenty-five thousand dollars. She simply didn't have that kind of money, and having called the insurance company in the wee hours of the morning, she knew that their insurance wouldn't cover it. "Elizabeth?" Will prodded, poking her arm gently. "Elizabeth, what happened?"

"The hospital called me late last night," she sighed, deciding it would be easier to just go ahead and tell him, rather than to keep it to herself, and, of course, Jane. "They found some revolutionary treatment that can cure my dad."

"That's great!" he exclaimed, looking genuinely happy for her. Then he caught sight of the expression on her face and his smile faded. "What's the catch?"

"It costs twenty-five thousand dollars," she said softly. "Insurance isn't willing to pay for it and I just don't have enough money. In other words, my dad's screwed."

He fell silent for a few moments, before finally saying, "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. I wish there was something I could do."

"Thanks, Will," she said quietly, closing her eyes again. "But there's nothing you can do."

RGPSRGPSRGPSRGPS

Will paced back and forth across the living room, considering his options. On one hand, he could continue to lie to Charley and, in turn, keep him from the love of his life. On the other hand, he could betray Caroline (which was tempting all by itself) and tell Charley the truth, allowing Charley and Jane to get together. He bit his lip and chewed on it, hoping that, in the end, he would do the right thing.

Suddenly, the doorbell ran, interrupting his thoughts. He made his way towards the door and opened to find Charley standing on his front steps. "Hi," Charley said, stepping inside past Will, "you called?"

"Um… yeah," Will said slowly. "There's something I've got to tell you."

"What is it?" Charley asked, sitting down on the couch in the living room.

"You might want to sit down," he said nervously.

"I am," Charley pointed out, looking amused at his friend's obvious nervousness.

"Right, so…"

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"You're pissed off, aren't you?"

Will didn't speak for several long minutes after he finished relating his tale to Charley. Biting his lip nervously, he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.

After another few moments of silence, Charley grunted, "No."

He almost allowed himself a sigh of relief, but he knew it was highly unlikely that Charley was telling the truth. "You're kidding," Will said. "You'd have to be insane not to be pissed off at me beyond belief."

"I'm not pissed off," Charley repeated, "I am furious."

Will almost recoiled at the force with which Charley spoke. He had never, in all the years of knowing him, seen him this livid, especially not at him. "But I will forgive you."

At this, Will looked up, looking surprised at this. "You will?" he gaped.

"Because you came clean," Charley said simply. "And because Elizabeth's spurning you has made you a changed man… boy. Whatever."

"Um… thanks?" Will said, chuckling uncertainly.

"It's a good thing, don't worry," Charley told him, offering him a small smile. "Even though I knew you were head over heels for her, I'm frankly surprised that her words affected you this much."

"Well…" Will muttered, having nothing further to say on the matter. "Yeah."

"Eloquent," he commented, dryly. "But honestly, I'm happy because of it. You're a better person, Will; trust me, I've noticed. I assume I have Elizabeth to thank for that, right?"

Will nodded reluctantly. "I always knew that people considered me to be an ass, but how much of a difference it would make didn't really hit me until I heard it from her, when I realized I was being rejected because of it."

"Yeah, that's one hell of a wake up call, huh?" Charley said, wiping his hands on his pants. "Do you think…?"

"Do I think what?" Will urged on, as his friend's voice faded into uncertainty.

"Do you think… Jane…?" Charley tried again, barely making himself coherent.

Chuckling, Will said, "Of course I do. If you explain to her what happened and apologize for ignoring her for such a long time, I can't imagine that she would turn you down, Charley."

"You really think so?" his friend asked, brightening, making it clear that it had been a prominent concern in his mind.

"Definitely," he said.

"Are you going to ask Elizabeth out again?" Charley asked hesitantly, cocking his head at Will, consumed by his curiosity.

"I don't know," Will sighed. "I don't think so. She seems to be warming up to me, and we seem to be friends, but… it didn't turn out so well last time. I just don't know."

"You don't want to be turned down flat on your face again, do you?" Charley pressed, giving his best friend a knowing look.

"Yeah," he admitted grudgingly. "It really kind of sucked coming from her." He slapped his forehead. "I'm turning into a pansy because of her, Charley."

"Eh, don't worry about it," he told him. "It's kind of nice to see a sensitive side of you, actually."

"Really?" Will asked, raising a single eyebrow at him.

Charley shrugged, not really sure of what to say to that. Finally, he replied, "It's a good reminder that, no matter how cold and unfeeling you act most of the time, you _do_ actually have feelings."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I still own absolutely nothing

**A/N: I still own absolutely nothing. Please read and review and enjoy! **

Chapter 15

"Is today the day?" Will asked Charley as they entered the school around half past seven that morning.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before hastily saying, "No, no, no, today's most definitely _not_ the day."

"Man, you've been saying that every day for the past week," Will prodded. "Grow some balls, why don't you?"

Charley grunted incoherently and shoved his hands in his pockets. "During second period," he finally muttered.

Will said nothing, but merely grinned to himself before heading off on his own to his locker. He had had a good feeling about the day, even from the moment he had first gotten out of bed. Georgiana had been in a good mood, even at six in the morning, which was saying something, in her case. What could possibly go wrong with this day?

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Charley entered the classroom for second period history and spotted Jane sitting in her usual spot at the back. Sucking in a deep breath, he approached her and said, "Hey."

She looked up in surprise and eyed him suspiciously, saying nothing in reply. "Look," he said, running a hand anxiously through his red hair. "I know I've been a total jackass, okay?"

A hesitant smile spread across her face. "Care to explain?" she said, pulling out the chair next to her, indicating that he should sit there.

Smiling as he sat down and dumped his backpack on the floor, he said, "Gladly."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"Charley!" Will called frantically, spotting his friend's red hair from all the way down the hallway as he and Elizabeth made their way to algebra class.

Charley's head whipped around as he spotted both Will and Elizabeth waving their arms frantically at him. "What?" he called back, smiling at how ridiculous they looked in the middle of the hallway.

"What did she say?" Elizabeth yelled at him, as if it were the most obvious thing in world, which, in this case, it very well might have been.

"Oh," he said, his smile growing. "She said 'yes.'"

"Oh, yeah!" Will said, as he and Elizabeth slapped high-fives in the throng of people swarming around them, trying to get to class on time.

The bell suddenly rang, snapping them out of their celebration. "Oh, shit, we're late!" Elizabeth said, as they took off down the hallway. Their teacher would kill the both of them, but… surprisingly, neither of them really cared.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

During chemistry class, Will and Elizabeth's class was given a study hall due to their teacher's absence. During said study hall, Elizabeth took the time to read _Sense and Sensibility_, seeing as she had no work she could possibly work on. Instead of concentrating on his Latin homework, as he probably should've been, Will took the time to observe the girl sitting next to him, and to reflect upon the current state of their relationship.

He and Elizabeth were obviously friends, most likely due to the destruction of his hubris after her rejection of him. However, the rest was gray. Was it possibly for them to become more than friends? He was unsure. He had obviously grown on her, judging by the way she now confided in him her issues concerning her dad's health and Jane's newly banished misery. He still loved her, that he was sure of. He only wanted what was best for her; he only wanted what made her happy. Whatever brought her pain, caused him pain and vice versa.

But was it likely for her to accept him upon a second extension of his offer, after such a cruel and determined rejection of him in reaction to the first? It seemed clear that the letter and his remarkably improved behavior had improved her opinion of him greatly, but just how greatly?

RGPSRGPSRGPS

During Latin, Jane and Elizabeth were chatting quietly about Charley after they had finished their work. "I was just so surprised," Jane said, smiling all the while. "But I was happy when he explained the misunderstanding."

"Are you completely pissed off at Will?" Elizabeth asked, sounding a bit curious as to what her friend's answer would be.

"No," Jane said, shaking her head. "I mean, I was, at first. But then I realized… he came clean about it and he _has_ improved a lot over the past month or so. He's a much better person now than he was at the beginning of the school year."

"I agree," she said, nodding. "But-"

Suddenly, the phone on the teacher's desk dinged, signaling an intercom message. "Mr. Richards?" said the school secretary.

"Yes?" Mr. Richards answered, sounding irritating that his diligent reading of _The City of God_ by St. Augustine had been interrupted.

"Can you please send Elizabeth Bennet down to the front office?" said the secretary. "It's urgent."

"What's going on?" he asked, sounding remarkably concerned.

"It's about her father," replied the secretary, realizing that it would probably imprudent to tell the entire classroom whatever news concerning her father was so urgent.

"Okay, go ahead," Mr. Richards said, nodding at Elizabeth and jerking his head towards the door, indicating that she should leave.

Elizabeth was surprised that she could walk, given the fact that she couldn't feel her legs one bit. It seemed her entire body had gone numb at the mention of her father.

She somehow made it down to the front office, where the secretary told her sincerely, "I'm sorry, dear, but the hospital just called. Your father went into code blue."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Will was concerned when Elizabeth wasn't in any of their remaining classes of the day. Finally, during last period French, he turned to another sophomore named Tyler and said, "Do you know where Elizabeth is?"

"Actually, yeah," Tyler said, looking up from his conjugation chart. "She was called out of Latin class earlier today."

"Do you have any idea why?" Will asked, his concern growing greater with every passing moment. What could be urgent enough to pull her out of school in the middle of the day?

Lowering his voice, Tyler said, "The secretary said something about her dad. And that's all I know."

Feeling his heart practically break as he thought of how miserable Elizabeth must be, Will choked out, "Thanks, man." And it was in that moment that he knew something had to be done.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: As always, I own nothing

**A/N: As always, I own nothing. Please continue to review and enjoy! **

Chapter 16

Elizabeth did not attend the school next day, instead spending the day at the hospital with her father, after the scare the previous day. His left lung had collapsed, and he was now on a respirator, but he was alive. If only just. She was sorely missed by Jane, Will and Charley, though perhaps most sorely by Will.

At around noon that day, she found herself sitting in a chair situated just a few feet from her father's bedside, reflecting over all the good memories they had together… She would not be the same if he died. How could she lose her one and only role model? How was she supposed to survive adolescence with a continually absent mother and a deceased father? Was it possible?

They had been through too much…

_Flashback _

_"Daddy?" asked the five year old version of Elizabeth, as she tugged at her father's dark blue polo shirt. "Do I have a mommy?" _

_"Of course you do, sweetheart," he chuckled as they continued to walk through the mall. "Everyone has a mommy, Lizzy." _

_"Then where's __**my**__ mommy?" the little girl asked impatiently, tugging harder on his shirt. _

_He gently pried her hand from the material and took it into his own hand, saying, "Mommy left when you were just a baby, sweetie." _

_"But why?" Lizzy blubbered, her large, innocent brown eyes filling with tears. "Why did Mommy have to leave? All my friends have mommies. Where is __**my**__ mommy?" _

_"Shh, Lizzy," her father said soothingly, bending down so that he was at her eye level. "Mommy had to take care of some very important business." _

_"But that was so long ago, Daddy!" she whined, feeling her tears recede slightly. _

_"It's just taking longer than she hoped," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. "Don't worry, Lizzy. You'll always have me. I won't ever leave you, I promise." _

_End Flashback _

Though that had been over eleven years ago, Elizabeth still remembered it as vividly as though it had taken place just yesterday. Of course, her father had eventually told her the truth, when she was about nine. Her mother had left them for another man shortly after Elizabeth's birth, leaving her father to raise her all by himself, though he had the help of his sister. She had never been heard from since.

_Flashback _

_"Elizabeth Amelia Bennet, you get back down here!" her father roared at her. She ignored him and continued to sprint up the stairs. "What do you think you're doing?" _

_"Destroying what caused all this in the first place!" she yelled back, not bothering to face him as she did so. Upon reaching the second floor of the house, she made for her father's room, where she knew he kept his stash of cigarettes. "Damn cigarettes!" _

_"Watch your damn language!" her father admonished loudly, though it was slightly paradoxical, given the bad example he was setting for her. _

_She ignored him and pulled out the ten packs of cigarettes he had stashed in his drawer. Slamming the drawer shut, she quickly moved into the bathroom. Hearing the slam of the drawer, her father yelled, "You stay away from my cigarettes, young lady!" _

_"I'll do whatever the hell I want!" she screamed back. He caught up to her just in time to see her throw the last of the packs into the toilet and flush it. Both of them stared at the slowly rising level of water in the toilet, due to the fact that she had shoved much more material in the bowl than it was ever meant to hold. Her tears splattered onto the tile floor of the bathroom, as her father simply looked at her for several moments. _

_Finally, he said, "Do you want to go to Six Flags?" _

_End Flashback _

After that incident, her father had never smoked another cigarette. At Six Flags, they rode every single ride at least twice, despite her father's lifelong fear of heights. And that was probably the best memory she ever had of him.

RGPSRGPSRGPS

Around three o'clock that afternoon, her father's doctor entered the room, accompanied by a nurse. "Miss Bennet?" the doctor said.

"Yes, Doctor Anderson?" she said, looking up. "What is it?"

Dr. Anderson handed her a clipboard. "When your father wakes up, I need you to help him go through this and sign it."

"What is this?" Elizabeth asked, paging through the papers attached to the clipboard she had been given.

"It's a consent form for the treatment we offered you a few weeks ago," the doctor explained.

"But I already told you," she said, sounding somewhat frustrated, "we can't afford it and our insurance company isn't willing to pay."

"Well, the hospital received the exact amount of money needed today from a source who requested that he or she remain anonymous," Dr. Anderson said. "The donor said that the money was specifically for Mr. Bennet."

Elizabeth felt her jaw drop upon hearing this. Who could've done such a generous thing? Certainly not the Bensons, since they were already struggling to make their own ends meet. Frankly, she had no idea. "Okay, I will," she said numbly.

"Great," Dr. Anderson smiled. "Go ahead, Rebecca," she said to the nurse, as she turned to leave.

"I'm just here to move your father around a bit so that he doesn't get bed sores," the nurse said cheerfully, going about the task she had just stated.

"Go right ahead," Elizabeth said slowly, still wondering who could've donated that much money to them. Certainly not her estranged mother, who had never sent them as much as a birthday card, much less twenty five thousand dollars! After a few moments, she said, "Rebecca?"

"Yes, dear?" the nurse said, looking up at her. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know who donated the money for my father?" she asked.

"Oh, dear," Rebecca clucked, lowering her voice. "I'm really not supposed to tell."

"Please," Elizabeth pleaded. "I need to know."

Looking at her with nothing but pity, the nurse said, "It was the son of a doctor at the hospital, I believe. What was his name? Will? Yes, that's it! Will Darcy is his name."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: FLUFF WARNING

**A/N: FLUFF WARNING! I still own nothing, but please leave a review anyway! Enjoy. I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time. **

Chapter 17

Elizabeth sprinted through the rain falling on the school grounds, wondering where he could possibly be. She had to find him.

She just had to.

She almost entered the school building when she spotted a dark haired figure standing on the opposite side of the quad. Could it be…?

As she approached the figure at a run, she realized that it was him. "Will!" she called loudly. He must not have heard her, for he didn't turn around. "William! Fitzwilliam!"

Upon hearing her, he turned around immediately and looked surprised. "Elizabeth," he said, as she came to stand directly in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," she said. "Why are you watching the empty softball field?"

"Well," he said slowly, blushing a deep red color as he did so, "there was practice before, and I was hoping you'd show up to that for some reason… then the team went inside and I just… I stayed here." He then looked at her questioningly. "Jane told us you were at the hospital with your dad. How is he?"

"He's fine, he's alive," she said. "I was at the hospital. But then… the doctor gave me some interesting news."

"Really?" he said, flushing an even deeper hue.

"Really," she said earnestly. "She told me that someone had _donated_ the money for my dad's treatment. All twenty five thousand dollars of it."

"Who could it be?" he stammered, obviously aware that she knew perfectly well who had donated the money and dragging this out deliberately in the hopes of weaseling it out of him. "Fine, fine, fine. But… how did you know it was me?"

"The nurse has loose lips," she shrugged. She then fixed him with an intent stare. "Thank you." He blushed and nodded in acceptance of her gratitude. "Why'd you do it?" she finally said, after a few moments of quiet, filled only by the sound of the rain, had passed between them.

"I- I love you, Elizabeth," he said softly. "I wanted to make you happy. That's the only reason why I did it."

At this, she only further intensified the already intense glare with which she was fixing him. "Say that again," she commanded.

"Say what again?" he floundered. "That I love you? I love you, Elizabeth. I would do anything for you… but if your feelings are still the same as when I asked you out last, just tell me, and I'll never bring this up again."

Something like a smile fluttered across her face as she moved closer to him, whispering, "You talk way too much, Will."

And then her lips were on his.

He was so shocked by her actions that he barely even had time to register that this moment, which he had so often dreamt about, was finally taking place, before she pulled away.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, her lips so close to his.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled. "Just surprised."

"Is that a good thing?" she smiled. A small smile played at his own lips.

"Don't worry," he smirked, pressing his lips to her forehead. "It is." He pulled back, looking at her seriously. "Can I… hug you?"

"Why are you bothering to ask, Will?" she questioned, sounding amused. "You've hugged me before."

"But that wasn't long enough for me to memorize how your body feels when it's pressed against mine," he whispered softly, and there was nothing she could do but nod. As soon she gave her assent, he pulled her to him, pressing her body against him as tightly as possibly. One had stroked the hair at the back of her head, the other went immediately to the small of her back. Her head was buried into his chest, as his lowered to rest on his shoulder. She could feel and hear his heart beating a wild tattoo against his chest. Pulling away, he tenderly hooked a finger under her chin and brought her face to his, soundly kissing her.

His lips moved against hers slowly, famished, as if he was drawing this kiss out in the fear that she would soon change her mind. Both his hands slowly drifted to her waist, pulling her to him again, as her own small hands grabbed him by the back of the neck. Her lips moved against his, returning his display of affection with equal fervor. She pulled away, resting her head against his shoulder. She pressed a soft kiss to the warm skin of his neck, causing him to shudder. "What?" she smirked against his skin. "Don't you like it?"

"I do," he admitted, his arms wrapping more tightly about her waist in a possessive manner. "I really do."

After a few moments of silent, he finally said, "You did read my letter… didn't you?"

"Of course," she said, sounding shocked that he would even ask such a question. "It was the least I could do."

"Did it really change your opinion of me?" he questioned.

"Not so much as your marked changed behavior, starting with our chance encounter at the hospital did. But it did convince me that you truly had feelings for me," she said.

"Well, at least there's that," he said, bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing it softly.

"Aren't you just full of clichés?" she commented dryly, though she was smiling broadly the entire time.

"This might sound like a stupid question," he muttered, tenderly pressing a finger to his just-kissed lips. "But would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

Smiling widely, she said, "I'd love that, Will."

"Good," he said, sighing in feigned relief. "Because if you refused after that, I'd give up on women for the rest of my sorry existence."

She chuckled, then looked serious. "Should I call you Will, William, or Fitzwilliam? Or even Fitz?"

"You can call me whatever you want," he told her softly, "as long as you love me, you can call me 'you with the face' and I'll respond. What should I call you?"

"Almost everyone calls me 'Lizzy' for short," Elizabeth said, after a few moment's though. "But I rather like it when you use my full name."

"Elizabeth?" he said slowly, almost hesitantly. "You know that I love you… right?"

"Yeah, I know," she muttered. She looked up at him, her eyes boring into his. "And I love you, too."


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I still own nothing

**A/N: I still own nothing. This is the last chapter! I know! I'm sad, too! But there will be a sequel, titled "A Certain Level of Maturity"! So please leave a review and enjoy! Just to be clear, I don't know if Coke actually sponsors the Red Sox. Artistic license, thank you very much.**

Chapter 18

The beginning of spring break that year found Elizabeth running to her locker, eager to be free of school for the week they had been given off from school. She finally reached her locker, and, after retrieving the few books she would need in order to complete schoolwork over the break, she turned around and was surprised to find herself face to face with Will. Hugging him tightly, she said, "Charley said you weren't coming into school today."

Kissing her on the cheek, he said, "I wasn't going to. But then I realized that I hadn't given you _these _yet." Upon his saying this, he held up a pair of Boston Red Sox tickets.

"How did you get these?" she squealed, her eyes growing wide at the mere sight of them.

"My mom knows a guy," he shrugged, smiling broadly at her genuine, childlike delight. "I also have these," he told her, holding up a pair of plane tickets to Boston. "My mom got us rooms for the weekend."

"You're kidding!" she said. He shook his head at her, thoroughly amused. "But the Bensons…"

"Already know," he finished for her. "Jane helped me pack your stuff up today while you were at school. Your bags are in the car."

"You're amazing," she said, pecking him on the cheek as they began to walk toward the parking lot. "You put all this together?"

"My mom helped with getting the game tickets, the plane tickets, and the hotel reservations… but other than that," he said, blushing sheepishly.

She slipped her hand into his, still amazed by how reassuring his hands could be. They had been dating for nearly five months now, and she still never seemed to tire of him. "What time is our flight?" she asked.

"Five-thirty," he said. "And don't worry, we'll be there in plenty of time for the game."

"Thank you," she told him, looking up at him admiringly.

"No problem," he shrugged, smiling down at her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

RGPSRGPSRGPS

"Are you having fun?" he whispered softly into her ear, his arms wrapping around her waist, as the crowds in Fenway Park finished singing along to "Sweet Caroline."

"What do you think?" she asked, smiling broadly. "I'm watching my favorite baseball team kick the shit out of the rivals, I'm in Boston, my favorite city, for the weekend, and I'm here with the person I love the most."

At this, he beamed, looking extremely pleased with her reply. The voice of the announcer boomed throughout the park, saying, "And now… for the Coca-Cola Couple of the Game, please direct your attention to the screen."

Elizabeth obediently trained her eyes on the screen, but Will paid no attention to it, instead making use of her distraction to place a line of searing kisses down her neck. "Will," she gasped breathily.

"Hmmm?" he said, unwilling to pull his lips from her skin for even a fraction of a second.

"Look at the screen," she directed him, and he obeyed, feeling his jaw drop as he did so.

They were the Coca-Cola Couple of the Game. "Holy shit," he breathed, looking at all the people who were staring at them. "This is embarrassing."

"Well, don't just stand there!" the announcer admonished. "Kiss her!"

As the crowds began to chant their wish to see him kiss her, he looked down at her smirking. "What do you say?" he said, jerking his head in the direction of the screen. "You wanna give them something to talk about?"

"What the hell," she shrugged, a devilish grin spread across her face.

He bent his head towards hers so that his mouth fell across hers. The crowds wildly cheered in appreciation. Her hand reached up to comb through his dark locks as he reluctantly pulled away, saying, "Have I ever told you how much I love Red Sox games?"

RGPSRGPSRGPS

The night concluded in a happy manner, with the Red Sox emerging victorious against the rival New York Yankees, with a score of 8-3. "This night has been amazing," Elizabeth said, sitting at the foot of Will's bed as he brushed his teeth in the bathroom. His mom had purchased them separate rooms, however, they were adjoined rooms. So all that separated the two of them was a door.

"Mmmmhmmm," he grunted in agreement, his mouth sounding as though it was full of toothpaste.

"Thanks again, Will," she said, the sound of the running sink coming from the bathroom.

He emerged, saying, "No problem." He immediately took the seat next to her on the bed and tenderly kissed her forehead. "How are you, Elizabeth?"

After a few moment of thoughtfulness, she said, "Never better."

"Today is our six month anniversary," he whispered, leaning into kiss her softly on the lips.

"No, it's not," she mumbled against his lips. "We didn't start dating until towards the very end of November. It can't possibly be our six-month anniversary."

"Not of that," he muttered, trailing kisses down the column of her neck, much as he had done at the game earlier in the evening. She inhaled sharply, breathing in his scent.

"What are you talking about then?" she asked, seizing his face and bringing it closer to her own.

"I'm talking about when I first asked you out," he chuckled. "You remember that?"

"Don't remind me," she said, rolling her eyes. "I was such a bitch to you."

"But with good reason," he pointed out. She bit her lip, looking slightly guilty. "Don't worry, Elizabeth. I forgave you a long time ago. Almost instantly, actually."

Smiling, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his longingly. He responded to this with a barely suppressed moan as his hot tongue swept against the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth to him almost instantly, her tongue racing to meet his in a moist, needy clash. One of her small hands slipped under his shirt, resting on the firm surface of his chest. As his lips continued to move against hers, she thought of how the school year was now nearly over, and how much drama had occurred during it. Between Charley and Jane and Will and herself, she felt as though there was certainly enough drama off of which to base a reality television show. However, she knew that through whatever drama may come, she would always have Jane, she would always have Charley, she would always have Will, and… real girls would always play softball.


End file.
